Spindle spinning machines of the direct type



April 7, 1959 w. LEUTERT .SPINDLE SPINNING MACHINES 6F THE DIRECT TYPE Filed Dec. 27, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 EJY ATTDHNEY April 7, 1959 w. LEUTERT I 2,880,565

SPINDLE SPINNING MACHINES OF THE! DIRECTTYPE Filed Dec. 27, 1954 Z'SheetS-Sheet 2 INVENTDR WflL TE}? 7%;

' EzY R Q 7 ATTUFNEY United Statcs Patent SPINDLE SPINNING MACHINES OF THE DIRECT TYPE Application December 27, 1954, Serial No. 477,684

Claims priority, application Luxemburg December 30, 1953 4 Claims. (Cl. 57-1) The present invention relates to spinning spindle machines of the direct drive type, this expression including all spindle machines (whether they are used for spinning proper or for twisting or the like), in which the spindles are imperatively driven by bevel gears from a driving shaft extending all along the machine. The invention is more especially concerned with machines of the worm and worm wheel drive type.

The object of my invention is to provide a machine of this kind which is better adapted to meet the requirements of practice and in particular which achieves a good centering of the traveller rings through which the yarn is wound on every bobbin, irrespective of axial expansion of the spindle rail during the operation of the machine.

The machine according to the present invention includes a multiplicity of spindles mounted on a spindle rail extending all over the set of spindles and carrying the gears through which said spindles are driven, every spindle being surrounded by a traveller ring having a reciprocating movement parallel to the axis of said spindle. According to my invention, the spindle rail is mounted on the fixed frame of the machine in such manner as to be able to undergo free expansion in the direction of the row of spindles, with respect to said frame, and the traveller rings of the machine are carried by a plurality of elementary supports or rails which are independent from the point of view of their expansion in the above mentioned direction, said elementary ring rails being disposed in line with one another and each of them being mounted in such manner as to move together with the portion of the spindle rail with which it cooperates during the displacements resulting from thermal expansion of said spindle rail portion. In this way I obtain a satisfactory centering of the traveller rings with respect to the spindles irrespective of the thermal expansion deformations of the spindle rail.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings, given merely by way of example and in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view, with parts in axial section, of a spinning machine made according to my invention.

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view of said machine.

The machine includes a fixed frame scecured to the ground in any suitable fashion and which may for instance consist of a plurality of cross members 1 connected together by longitudinal members 2. This fixed frame carries the elements of the spinning machine and in particular a spindle rail 3 carrying a driving shaft on which are keyed a multiplicity of worm wheels each of which is in mesh with a worm coupled with one of the spindles 4 to be driven respectively.

Advantageously the shaft through which the spindles are driven is located in the longitudinal plane of symmetry of frame 1 and is arranged to drive two rows of spindles disposed symmetrically with respect to said plane.

Around each spindle 4 there is mounted a ring 5 provided with a traveller intended in particular to achieve a regular winding of the yarn on the bobbin, the whole of said traveller ring 5 being given for this purpose a reciprocating displacement parallel to the axes of spindles 4.

It is reminded that the operation of a spinning machine of the direct drive type as above described involves some heating of the spindle rail 3. This heating, which has no detrimental effect on the good operation of the engine as a whole, however produces some relative displacements between the spindle rail and the ring rail. This is due to the fact that the spindle rail expands, under the effect of the above mentioned heating, whereas the ring rail does not undergo such a heating and therefore does nat expand.

In order to obviate this drawback, according to my invention, the spindle rail 3 is mounted on frame 1 in such manner as to be free to elongate in the axial direction, i.e. in the direction of the row of spindles, under the effect of its heating. For instance, as shown by the drawing, the spindle rail 3 is resting slidably on frame 1, with the exception of a single point of said spindle rail where it is fixed with respect to said frame 1.

Rings 5 are supported by a plurality of elementary ring rails 6 independent from the point of view of expansion in the axial direction, said elementary ring rails being disposed in line with one another and mounted on the spindle rail so that every elementary ring rail accompanies the corresponding portion of the spindle rail 3 in the displacements thereof due to thermal expansion.

Thus the respective expansions of successive sections of spindle rail 3 with respect to the corresponding ring rail portions are not added together, which would produce at the end of the machine an important off-setting of the rings with respect to the spindles.

With the arrangement according to the present invention, the maximum off-setting between one ring and the corresponding spindle is equal to that produced by the expansion of every spindle rail portion as compared with the expansion of the corresponding ring rail element.

Furthermore, if the elementary ring rails 6 are fixed in their middle parts to the corresponding sections of the spindle rail 3, the maximum off-setting is only one half of its maximum value.

Therefore, according to my invention, the effects of expansion of the spindle rail are attenuated to a considerable degree and rings 5 remain satisfactorily centered with respect to spindles 4.

In the arrangement illustrated by the drawing, the spindle rail is constituted by a plurality of sections connected end to end, the point of junction between two such sections corresponding to a cross member 1 of the fixed frame, a key 7 guiding every spindle rail section in the axial direction upon every cross member of frame 1 on which it is slidable longitudinally. At one point thereof, for instance at its end, not visible on the drawing, the spindle rail 3 is fixed to the frame 1.

The elementary ring rails 6 are each guided at its lower point by a bracket or support 8 rigid with the spindle rail 3. The ends of said ring rails 6 rest upon plates 9 slidable on brackets 10 rigid with the fixed frame 1, every elementary ring rail being kept in line with the adjoining elementary rail by means of a system which permits axial displacements with respect to frame 1. For instance, a finger 11 carried by the ring rail is engaged in an elongated slot 12 provided in the corresponding sup porting plate 9.

In a general manner, while I have, in the above description, disclosed what I deem to be practical and efiicient embodiments of my invention, it should be well understood that I do not wish to be limited thereto as there might be changes made in the arrangement, disposi tion and form of the parts without departing from the prin- (is ciple of the present invention as comprehended within the scope of the accompanying claims.

What I claim is:

l. A spindle spinning machine of the direct drive type which comprises, in combination, a fixed frame, a spindle rail forming a single rigid unit, said spindle rail being supported by said frame slidably in a direction parallel to the length of said rail, whereby said spindle rail is free to elongate, a multiplicity of spindles carried by said rail, said spindles forming a row along said rail, a shaft for driving said spindles, said shaft being journalled in said spindle rail, a plurality of independent elementary ring rails mounted in line with one another along said spindle rail, said ring rails being mounted for reciprocating displacement thereof parallel to the axes of said spindles, a multiplicity of traveller rings each surrounding one of said spindles respectively, said rings forming a plurality of sets in line with one another, all the rings of each set being carried by one of said elementary ring rails respectively, and means for guiding one single point of each of said elementary ring rails with respect to said spindle rail along a guide line fixed with respect to said ring rail and parallel to the axes of said spindles, the guide lines of the respective ring rails being located at intervals along said spindle rail, whereby the maximum off-setting between a spindle and the ring that surrounds it, due to thermal expansion of said spindle rail, is at must equal to the elongation, caused by expansion, of a section of said spindle rail of a length equal to the length of an elementary ring rail.

2. A spindle spinning machine according to claim 1 in which the point of each of said elementary ring rails that is guided with respect to said spindle rail is the middle point of said elementary ring rail.

3. A spinning spindle machine according to claim 1 further including a supporting piece reciprocable vertically on said frame for slidably supporting each end of each of said ring rails.

4. A machine according to claim 1 in which said spindle rail is made of a plurality of sections disposed end to end, the zone of joining between two successive spindle rail sections resting upon portions of said fixed frame, and a key for guiding said spindle rail in the axial direction of said spindles with respect to each of said fixed frame portions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,295,935 Cotchett Sept. 15, 1942 2,690,641 Keyser Oct. 5, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 707,698 Great Britain Apr. 21, 1954 1,038,376 France May 6, 1953 

